K Dock Report

[Sam]

I went out of K Dock today, 5/17, and there's not much happening there.

The water is back up to normal, but it's stained and dingy. Surface temp is 64.

I couldn't find a crappie no matter how hard I tried, and I know a bunch of post-spawn banks from previous years. There are fish scoping in bunches straight out from those banks, but they're at 30+ feet down in 40+ feet of water. It was kind of windy, and I couldn't reach that deep with crappie gear.

I did some trolling and slow-trolling for walleyes on the drop-offs at the edges of flats, but they're not up there yet. Again, there are fish showing in very deep water off those flats, and I imagine that's where the walleyes are.

All I caught was one big white bass, 5 or 6 largemouths, and a smallmouth. The bass were all about 13", fun to catch (and release) on light tackle.

There was some excitement, though - this is "the one that got away" story. I pulled up in Mincy Cove to eat lunch, and before I started eating I tied a gold minnow hook on my crappie pole, put a big gob of nightcrawlers on it, and threw it in the middle of a little side cove in about 10' of water. I figured I might pick up a big bluegill or maybe a catfish while I was eating.

Boy, I got a fish on. I don't know what it was, but it was strong, heavy, and fast - and it stayed deep. I couldn't turn it, so I chased it out into the main cove with my trolling motor on high speed while it was still spooling out line.

After two big runs that almost spooled me, I got the line back and I had the fish straight under the boat in 25 feet of water with no brush around. By this time, I was about 150 yards from where I hooked it. I knew if I was careful and kept constant pressure on it, the fish would eventually have to tire and come up. Of course, I was thinking about how it was my light crappie rod with 6-lb. monofilament that hadn't been changed for several trips. So sure enough, after being hooked on for about 10 minutes, the line broke at the knot and I never saw the fish.

The next thing I did was bait up my heavy spinning rig (which has Fireline on it) and throw back in the same little side cove. Naturally, I then caught several little perch and little-bitty bass on that.

Whatever I had ahold of had to weigh 20 lbs. or so. Could'a been a drum, could'a been a carp, could'a been a big catfish. It took the nightcrawler on the drop, but I think it was too fast for a walleye, and there's not a bass in the lake that would feel like that. Even though I didn't catch much today, that's the kind of thing that makes fishing fun for me.

But I'll be going back to Tablerock until those Bull Shoals walleyes get up on the flats, which, hopefully, they'll do in June.

[Forsythian]

Sam, I was out of Kdock on 5/17 as well... were you in the v-bottom Tracker? I was in the red/tan fishnski.

I'll second Sam's report... the lake has come up but the fish have not yet followed. I was hopeful, the water color looked ideal, but we only caught a few juvenile bass. Still, it's good to see the ol' lake up where it oughta be.

I'd caution folks to keep an eye out for "floaters" out there... maybe for another week or two.

Here's a quick pic of my fishin' partner... luckily we didn't run into a truant officer!

[Sam]

Forsythian - I'm in the Bass Tracker TX-17/Dark Blue Chevy truck.

I think I saw you guys loading up and driving out, just as I was coming into the launch ramp about 5 p.m.

I got a 17-lb. flathead out of Mincy Cove a few years ago, so I've now decided that's what broke me off yesterday. That's a lot better than if I'd actually caught or seen the fish and it turned out to be a carp or a drum.

[MoCarp]

I don't know what it was, but it was strong, heavy, and fast - and it stayed deep. I couldn't turn it, so I chased it out into the main cove with my trolling motor on high speed while it was still spooling out line.

After two big runs that almost spooled me, I got the line back and I had the fish straight under the boat in 25 feet of water with no brush around. By this time, I was about 150 yards from where I hooked it. I knew if I was careful and kept constant pressure on it, the fish would eventually have to tire and come up. Of course, I was thinking about how it was my light crappie rod with 6-lb. monofilament that hadn't been changed for several trips.

By your re-telling --the fight you described is typical to a carp..they will rip line off at speeds few ever get to see..the only other fish that is as fast is a hybrid.

That wounderful run and the sound a reel makes at full sing is exactly why I fish for carp--it is unreal how much fun these fish are and with the right gear and know how you can catch them consistently, Its no wonder they are the most popular sportfish in Europe

We use 12 foot euro style rods that are as light as a quality fly rod and a joy to fish with--usually 20 pound test is standard and needed. --the CO told me of a 42 In Bull Shoals he witnessed back in march...with 10-14 pounds being avg size.

if you want to feel that kind of fight again--shoot a Pm as we are always introducing folks to this growing sport "euro carping"

(this is an open invite to anyone on the board that wants to give this a try)

Cheers

Mo

[Sam]

By your re-telling --the fight you described is typical to a carp..they will rip line off at speeds few ever get to see..the only other fish that is as fast is a hybrid.

Mo - I think you're right. It probably was a big carp.

I've got a 40 lb. trolling motor on my light aluminum Tracker boat, and on high speed it'll move the boat about 7 to 8 mph - enough to make a bow wave. That fish moved even faster, still spooling out line while I chased it.

Also, I've had big catfish take line, but I've never had one run me 150 yards in a straight line. It didn't have the distinctive "jerk jerk jerk" fight of a catfish either, and I can usually tell by that.

I've always thought of carp as a "junk fish" that we'd be better off without, but I can see what you mean about the tremendous fight they put up. That was kinda like being hooked to the back bumper of someone's pickup truck - while it lasted.

[MoCarp]

The small carp smoked are very tasty, flake off the meat and mix with cream cheese tastee!

Smaller (under 6-8 pounds) taken out of our clear ozark lakes and streams are good eating if you know how to get past the bones--the larger and older the fish they get a scank taste to them, that has fueled their rep for a nasty meal

Mo

[crappiefisherman]

im the guy with the black silverado and the blue champion python, please tell me if skippin church sunday will be worth the trouble on the home front.I think you guys are all wet on the deep crappie, i caught some lastweek still with bloody eggs in them, has the lake turned that bad???,Has any one seen the whites surfacing south of k dock?, are they there yet? how much trash still floating on banks, I only get to go to the lake occasionally I dont get to scope it out ahead of time anymore, Its kinda a crap shoot when i get there and i got to work with what i got.Thank God its friday

[Sam]

I think you guys are all wet on the deep crappie, i caught some lastweek still with bloody eggs in them, has the lake turned that bad?

Naw, Forsythian and I are just telling the way it was on Wednesday - and that's the way it was. Every day is different though, and you might do great on crappie this Sunday.

I keep notes on my fishing trips, and this same week last year my partner and I caught 80+ crappie out of K Dock to get our limits of 15 each. They were in little bunches all along some rocky post-spawn banks in 15-20 feet of water and we slow-trolled jigs to catch them.

It wasn't that way last Wed., there wasn't anything up by the banks at all and they were scoping suspended in deep water. But that can change and they could come up to the banks any time.

I didn't see any floating stuff that would be dangerous to hit. There were places where there was a lot of floating trash on the water that made it hard to troll. I hope you get to go, and that you find a BUNCH of crappies. Try fishing where that dumb Indian swam across the lake.

Give us a report.